<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lost Souls by psychedelic_rainbow</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29833749">Lost Souls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychedelic_rainbow/pseuds/psychedelic_rainbow'>psychedelic_rainbow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:27:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,201</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29833749</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychedelic_rainbow/pseuds/psychedelic_rainbow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lost Souls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Heat. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The warm breeze slowly breaches the hull of the ship as the hatch slowly extends out, enveloping her with a warm embrace. The breeze felt good on her face, a comforting feeling after months of having it covered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The woman took a deep breath, looking around at the vast desert that surrounded the planet in its entirety. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Four months.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The last time she had stepped foot on Arvala-7 had been four months prior, back when she had first gotten word of a potential force-sensitive. They were rare to find these days following the second destruction of the empire, despite rumors following the destruction of the Jedi. The rumors of the infamous Luke Skywalker. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In those four months, the woman had been traveling the galaxies, following leads and chasing deadends. All for nothing. Following the last source, which she had received from a very talkative twi’lek who spent half the time trying to get into her pants, she ended up on a small moon where she found out that the last known force-sensitive person had died five cycles prior. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sighing out in exhaustion, the woman grabbed her bag, strapping her various knives to her calf and arms as well as placing her blaster in her thigh holster. Picking up her rifle and draping it over her shoulder, she looked at the helmet that was sitting on the crate, faded and scratched. She observed it for a second, taking in the warm air against her cheeks for a final time before reaching town and picking up the helmet, putting it over her head and sealing it with a satisfying hiss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The clanking of her armor echoed in the vast space as she made her way down the ramp before closing the hatch and beginning the journey towards the hideout she had claimed some cycles ago. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The walk was a nice one. The past few months had been tiring, spent mostly in space or in villages and cities of which she no longer cared to remember the names of. To finally be back in a place she was familiar with, it was...peaceful. Her thoughts were interrupted as she came upon a small encampment, guards patrolling the borders. As she got closer, one of the guards, a rather tall nikto spotted her and began to approach her, a rifle held steadily in her hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The woman continued to walk towards the man, stopping just before him, silent. The man stared into her tinted visor, waiting. Slowly the woman reached around her neck and pulled out a small amulet in the shape of a jai’galaar. The amulet glinted brightly in the sun as the man stepped closer to inspect it, staring intently for a few seconds before pulling back and nodding. The man shouted something in another language as he turned around, the woman following closely behind him. As she passed through the small entrance, the guards watched her, slightly bowing their heads as she made her way towards the main doorway. The man approached the small control panel, entering a code before the door slid up, revealing a small room. In the corner, a small, egg-shaped white pram sat, unmoving. The man stepped aside and the woman nodded once at him, not saying a word as she approached the pram. She stopped in front of it, tapping a few buttons on the front and allowing the pram to open slowly. Big brown eyes gazed up into the visor, a smile and happy babbling erupting from the child’s mouth as it raised its hands in a grabbing motion. The woman leaned over, picking up the child before cradling it in her arms, walking further into the building and away from the guards.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ad’ika</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the woman whispered softly to the child, rocking him in her arms as she made her way into a room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She closed the door, locking it before approaching the child again, who was sitting on the bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you get into any trouble while I was gone?” the woman spoke, her voice soft and unused. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The child babbled excitedly, his eyes alighting with mischief. The woman chuckled softly and knelt down in front of the child, her eyes roaming his tiny figure as she checked over him, making sure that he was alright. Content with his state, she stood back to her full height and took off the helmet once more, a soft hiss filling the room. The child laughed brightly at seeing her face and reached for her again with a grabbing motion before the woman picked him up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You hungry?” she asked the child as she made her way to the small space that held a stove and a pot. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The child babbled at her and the woman nodded at him, setting him down on the small space next to the stove before taking out some broth from the cupboard. Pouring the broth into the pot, she began to heat it up slowly, making sure that it wasn’t too hot to serve to the child. As she stirred the child continued his babbling and the woman nodded along, chuckling at the child.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you not to mess with them, they get very spooked easily. Which is ironic because they are paid mercenaries. But next time you want to go around pulling pranks on the guards, make sure they aren't carrying a blaster...yes the shiny thing that holds the stinging light. I would like to not have to keep hiring guards because I have to keep killing them for harming you. You, ad’ika, are going to make me run out of credits here soon.” The woman pats his head affectionately as she tastes the broth, humming in approval as she turns off the stove and pours the broth into two bowls for the child and herself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hands the child the bowl, picking him up into the crook of her elbow before grabbing her own bowl and heading over towards the bed. Placing the child down on one side, she sits down beside him, slightly facing him as he begins to sip his broth and gazing at her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...no. I didn’t find the one like you. It was...it was a dead-end.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The child babbled at her, gazing into her hazel eyes with excitement before going back to drinking his soup.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. I will tell you, but only if you promise to sleep after I tell you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The child smiled with glee, his bowl now resting empty in his arms. The woman grabbed the bowl from him, placing it back on the counter next to her half-empty one and returning beside him, pulling him to her chest as she laid down in the bed. The child wiggled to get more comfortable, grabbing a piece of her dark brown hair as she began to speak, her voice flowing throughout the silent room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was mostly in the Outer Rim. Most of the places I ended up in were in cities. Lots of people. It was very loud...and smelly. The people there were to be as expected. Most of them saw me as a threat, because of my armor. But there were some planets and moons that were nice. There was this one planet that I went to in the Mid Rim though, called Takodana. It was lovely there. There was a thick vibrant forest filled with trees and plants for as far as I could see. As I was walking I often came across ponds and lakes, sometimes even a few waterfalls. The water was magical and warm and I found myself often taking long swims…” The woman continued to talk softly as the child played with her hair, eyes slowly drooping until they shut, soft snores releasing from his slightly agape mouth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The woman trailed off, softly stroking the child as she gazed down at the sleeping child, a smile never leaving her face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nuhoy pirusti, ad’ika.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The woman looked at the child one last time before her eyes slipped closed, falling into a peaceful slumber for the first time in months.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The woman was up before the sun, a normal routine for her as she made her way around the room carefully, listening to some of the messages sent to her by various sources on leads. She has been in the compound for a few weeks, spending her days analyzing leads and spending time with the child. The woman walked over to her bed, her dark black armor staring back up at her. She picked up each piece with delicacy, strapping each piece securely to her form. Finally grabbing her helmet, she placed it over her head, sealing it with a hiss. She walked out of the compound towards the child who was walking around outside, exploring the grounds. Spotting her approaching, the child ran towards her, jumping into her outstretched arms as she picked him up and held him against her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have found another lead, ad’ika. This one seems more promising than the last one. I should only be gone for a week. When I return, I promise I will take you with me and we will settle down somewhere for a while. Take a break and relax. I will show you the forests and the lakes.” The woman strokes the child’s ears as she returns the child to his pram inside.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Setting him down in the pram, he reaches out her gloved hand towards the child’s outstretched hand, his small claws grasping her finger gently.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, verd’ika</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I will see you soon. Don’t cause too much trouble while I am gone.” The woman gives one last affectionate pat to the child’s head before walking back out of the compound, the main door closing behind her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looks at the guard at the door and hands him a bag of credits. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I will return in a week. Make sure nothing gets in or out. You know how to contact me if there is a problem. Do not fail me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man nodded, accepting the bag and handing it to another guard who carried it away. The woman walked out of the encampment and began her journey back to her ship, glancing one more time at the site before it disappeared out of her view. Arriving back at her ship, she set down her bag and rifle in the hull of the ship before continuing onto the cockpit and starting the engines up. The ship carefully lifted off the ground and climbed up through the atmosphere, the ship disappearing through the clouds and entering the vast blackness of space. As she got far enough away from the planet’s gravetational pull, she commenced the hyper drive and began her journey towards the mid rim. Taking off her helmet, she sighed and leaned back against the pilot seat, staring off into the nd and climbed up through the atmosphere, the ship disappearing through the clouds and entering the blackness of space. As she got far enough away from the planet's gravitational pull, she commenced the hyperdrive and began her journey towards the mid rim. Taking off her helmet, she sighed and leaned back against the pilots seat, staring off into the vast expanse of space and dreaming of her and her child surrounded by forests and water.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>***</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The ship was encased in silence, nothing but the thrum of the engine entering her ears as she continued to observe the inky space. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had been two days of traveling in hyperspace, heading towards Ondos where she was to meet up with an old reliable informant. Rumors of a bounty on a force-sensitive man were spreading and the woman needed to find him first. A shrill beeping suddenly fills the cockpit, knocking the woman from her thoughts as she looked towards her communicator in confusion.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Turing on the display, her blood turns to ice in her veins as she watches the message she received moments before. Jun Shog, one of the head guards at the encampment, appeared before her, his expression twisted into one of distress. The sound of blasters rang out in the background, his rapid breaths coming out harshly as he looked frantically at a scene in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <b>
    <em>Buruk</em>
  </b>
  <span>. We are under attack by an unknown enemy and we are losing control of the compound. You must return at once. You must come back. They are going to take him. You have to return before-" the sound of a blaster echoed loudly through the message before the message finished playing.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The woman sits in silent shock for a split second before she begins to rapidly press switches and buttons on the panel, sharply turning her ship around and speeding back towards Arvala-7. Her heart hammered in her chest as she sat anxiously in her seat, dread pooling in her stomach. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Two days.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That was how long it would take to get back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Two days of not being able to do anything. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Her mind raced with many thoughts, her worst fears running across her mind. Shaking her head, she steeled her mind, her fists clenching by her side. She replayed the message in her head. An unknown enemy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>They won't see me coming. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>